The Scout
I didn't share the conversation I had alone with Yunho in the interrogation room with Team Leader Na either.
"Have you ever told your homeroom teacher?"
"I did. But they just called me and the bullies in together and told us to get along. It felt like they just couldn't be bogged down with it. After that, the retaliation only got worse. In the end, I was the only one who suffered."
That was why he had lost trust in teachers as well.
"You didn't tell your mom either?"
"..."
At the mention of his mother, Yunho's expression darkened.
What was he so afraid of?
Yunho confided in me a secret he had never told anyone before.
"Those bastards went to the hospital where my mom is admitted behind my back. They showed me a picture of them holding a knife to her throat while she was asleep, smiling playfully."
"...!"
I was left speechless by the unexpected revelation.
"They said if I didn't do what they told me, they'd go back. They said they'd kill her if I asked anyone for help or reported it to the police."
"..."
"They installed a tracking app on my phone and told me not to even dream of running away..."
Yunho was attending the same school as these demons.
Was it really right to deal with these monsters through the law?
"Mister."
Yunho looked at me with pleading eyes.
"If you can't keep your promise, I'll die. My mom will die too. So if you're not confident, just give up here. I'd rather take the punishment myself."
Did he think that if he was sent to juvenile court and stood before a judge, he could at least escape the abuse for the duration of his punishment?
I had never felt so ashamed of being a detective.
"Yunho. I'll promise you one thing."
"..."
"I will make sure those bastards never stand in front of you again."
"How?"
"I can't tell you that right now. But I am someone who always keeps his promises. Trust me."
"I'll trust you."
"Thank you. Then, will you do me a favor too?"
"What kind of favor?"
"You have the phone numbers of the bullies who harassed you, right?"
"Yes."
Time to go see what these little demons look like.
Staying behind in the deserted industrial complex, I dialed the number I got from Yunho.
"I'm calling about the post on Red Carrot. I'd like to buy all thirty puppies."
—What the hell are you talking about?
I didn't like his tone from the very first word, but I held it in and recited my prepared lines.
"Wasn't there a post about adopting puppies at the Yeonan Industrial Complex?"
—Hey. Those puppies have an owner... Wait, did you just say Yeonan Industrial Complex?
"Yeah. It said if I like them, I can take them for fifty thousand won each. First-come, first-served until three o'clock, right?"
—W-Wait a minute. Can you tell me who posted that?
"Ah, damn it. If you're not the seller, you should've just said so. I thought I'd get them easily, but I just wasted my time. I'm hanging up."
—Hey. Hello? Hello?
I hung up without answering.
"So those punks are on their way here right now?"
"Yes. They should be here soon."
I explained to the agency members—who had rushed over like lightning—why I had called them.
Cha Donbaek was particularly interested in the bullies who had tormented Yunho.
"Good. When those little shits get here, I'm gonna teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget."
"I doubt they'll learn."
"Even if they don't, I still gotta give 'em a good thrashing. Wet behind the ears and already pickin' only the nastiest shit to do..."
"Let's discard them."
"...What?"
"I said, let's discard them."
"Surely... you don't mean kill them?"
"Pests should be exterminated as a rule."
"Boss?"
Cha Donbaek looked at me warily, finding my behavior uncharacteristic.
"I'm joking. Would I really kill them? Instead of killing them, I plan to make their lives so miserable they'll wish they were dead. I don't expect them to reflect on their actions anyway."
"I knew we clicked."
"Ah, is that so?"
A former gangster and a detective.
The reason these two, who were like oil and water, joined hands was because they were instinctively drawn to each other.
Cha Donbaek suddenly spoke up as if remembering something.
"Oh, by the way. About the payment you gave us this morning. I think there was a mistake."
"Wasn't it twenty million won? Was it too little?"
"Ah, it's not that. We barely did anything..."
"Keep it. It's fair compensation."
"You even gave us the location, Boss. All we did was load them into the car. Twenty million won is way too much."
"It's not too much. I calculated it with hazard pay included, so don't feel burdened and just take it."
Cha Donbaek checked several times to see if I was in my right mind. He even asked if I had been drinking in broad daylight.
"The bullies are about to arrive. Are we going to keep doing this?"
"You're serious. Well then, I'll accept it gratefully."
Cha Donbaek tucked the half-drawn envelope of money back into his coat.
"Representative Cha. We need a bit of acting to lure them into the trap. Can you do it?"
"What kind of...?"
I gathered the agency members and explained the roles they needed to play.
Since it was a familiar role, they understood immediately.
A moment later, Assistant Manager Dong, who had sharp ears, pointed toward the edge of the industrial complex.
"I think they're coming."
Vroom, vroom, vroooooom.
A parade of motorcycle delinquents entered the complex.
We hid ourselves until they rode inside the factory.
The delinquents finally gathered in front of the container.
There were fifteen of them in total.
The leader of the pack got off his motorcycle and asked the friend next to him.
"Who's on duty this month?"
"Hoam Middle School and Seongji Middle School."
"Then why the fuck is no one guarding the place?"
"Yeah, where did they all go?"
"Hey, check if the puppies are inside."
At the leader's command, the container door swung open.
"Huh? It's completely empty."
"What? Move!"
Several of them crowded around to check inside the container again.
Doing so didn't change the reality.
"What the hell, they're really gone? Hey, what's going on?"
"How should I know? I just got here too. Why are you taking it out on me?!"
"You dumb shits, that's not what's important right now!"
"Should we call the kids on duty?"
"Hurry up and check!"
The kids on duty were currently being interrogated at the Yeonan Police Station, so they had no time to answer their phones.
"They're not picking up."
"Wow, this is driving me crazy. Did those losers really sell them all off? If the hyungnims find out, they won't let this slide."
"Should we call the suppliers right now?"
"Start over? How are we gonna steal and cash them out in time? We have to pay our tribute the day after tomorrow."
"Oh, someone's coming."
"...?"
Leaving only me in the van, the four agency members stepped onto the stage.
Assistant Manager Dong asked Manager Geum.
"What the hell do these minors eat to grow so damn big?"
"They're big, but their faces are still baby-smooth. I'm so fucking jealous."
"Oh, you're picking up the kids' slang already?"
"Gotta blend in to get close fast. You try it. It's easy. Just put 'fucking' in front of everything."
"Fucking bullshit."
"...You motherfucker!"
Cha Donbaek warned Geum, Eun, and Dong.
"Don't let your guard down. When it comes to pure malice, those punks are a cut above gangsters."
"They're still just kids. You take a break, Boss. We'll handle this ourselves."
"Stick to the script. The Boss said no ad-libbing."
"Tsk. I hate playing minor roles..."
The delinquents were the first to call out.
"Hey, who the hell are you guys?"
"Hey there, kids. Nice to meet you."
"Mister, do you know us?"
"Of course. Aren't you guys the big shots at school? The ones who ordered others to steal people's dogs?"
"This mister is making some pretty dangerous accusations."
The kid who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and asked Cha Donbaek.
"You guys are the ones who made the losers and the dogs disappear, right?"
"What, 'you guys'? Look at this rude little shit!"
"What are you blabbering about, you old bastards? Can't read the room? There are fifteen of us and only four of you. You got a death wish?"
"Wow, unbelievable. These little shits don't recognize their seniors. Hey, kid. Numbers don't win fights."
"We'll see about that once we fight. Come on, bring it!"
Cha Donbaek, the former boss of the Shark Gang who once ruled Sancheon and Chomok-ri. He had always fought with everything he had. But today, he hadn't come to fight. Through dialogue and negotiation...
"Why aren't you coming? Scared?"
"..."
The script definitely said "recruitment," but...
"Bring it, you motherfucker! Acting all tough earlier—huh?"
Closing the distance in an instant with ghost-like footwork, Cha Donbaek lightly tapped the kid's soft lower jaw with his fist.
It was too grand to be called a jab, but a bit too heavy to be considered a mere touch.
"Ack!"
Though he had tried to hit gently, the bully's inner ear, connected to his jaw, lost all function from the vibration exceeding its threshold.
Had the shock reached his cerebrum, his body would have shut down all nerves and gone straight into blackout mode, but thanks to Cha Donbaek's exquisite control of power, the kid merely ended up with jelly legs.
"Whoa, whoa. You can't sit down already."
Cha Donbaek grabbed Oh Min-wook by the collar and pulled him right up to his face.
"Hey, wake up. You okay?"
Oh Min-wook realized in an instant just how strong his opponent was. It was a terror he had never experienced in his life.
He felt that if even a fraction of real power had been put into that punch, his entire skull would have been shattered.
"I'm asking you. Are you okay?"
A beast was asking him if he was okay right in front of his nose. Up close, the man's face was covered in scars. These guys were the real deal. He could feel the professional aura radiating from a genuine gangster.
Though his voice wouldn't even come out due to the sheer terror, he had to at least nod to respond. If he didn't answer, they might think he was resisting. The mere thought was horrifying.
Nod, nod.
Contrary to Oh Min-wook's expectations, Cha Donbaek spoke in the gentlest voice in the world.
"Still, you've got guts. I like you."
He had no idea what was gutsy about him, but Oh Min-wook decided it was best not to upset the man.
"T-Thank you."
Cha Donbaek showed his satisfaction at Oh Min-wook's newly polite tone.
"Good. I didn't finish introducing us earlier, did I? Boys."
It was finally time for the supporting actors to make their entrance.
"Show 'em who we are."
"Yes, Boss!"
Swoosh.
The Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Azure Dragon hidden beneath their clothes stretched their wings. The Four Guardian Beasts—minus the White Tiger—instantly captured the delinquents' eyes.
The delinquents all had a tattoo or two, but they had never seen such classic, full-body ink before.
It was the hallmark of real gangsters, the kind that only appeared in 90s movies.
Oh Min-wook cried out, feeling that it was now or never.
"We're sorry, mister! Please spare us!"
"Ah, no. We didn't strip to scare you. It's just an introduction, an introduction. Geum, Eun, Dong, put your clothes back on."
"Yes, Boss."
The supporting cast grumbled as they dressed themselves again. The lead actor still had plenty of lines left.
"We came here to scout you guys."
"...What?"
"Scout. You don't know what talent recruitment is?"
"Why us?"
"Why? Because you guys look like you have infinite potential. If you join our organization, we'll give you ten million won each as a signing bonus."
"T-Ten million won?"
"Yeah. In a lump sum, too. How much do you get paid for your work right now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why play dumb? I'm talking about the punks who are leeching off you guys right now. How much do they give you for stealing a dog?"
"Two hundred thousand won per dog."
"Two hundred thousand? Man, punks these days have no conscience. I heard the reward money is at least two to three million won, and they only give you a measly two hundred thousand to do the dirty work? That's practically exploitation. Who are those bastards?"
"The New Continent Gang."
"New Continent Gang? What the hell is that? Some third-rate crew with no pedigree?"
"They're a pretty well-known syndicate in Incheon."
"Syndicate, my ass. They're just cheap thugs. We operate nationwide. We have over a thousand members."
"Wow, really?"
"We're looking for creative kids with high potential to work in Incheon. How about you quit stealing people's dogs like petty thieves, join hands with me, and do some delivery work?"
"Uh, is that like... drug drops or something?"
"Something like that. I can't go into details yet. You just need to know how to ride a motorcycle. It's easy. If you work hard, ten million a month is the baseline, and when the volume is high, you could take home a hundred million."
"In a month?"
"Yeah, a month. The signing bonus is a lump sum so you can buy some decent clothes."
Cha Donbaek pulled out five ten-million-won checks I had given him and waved them so the kids could get a good look.
"So, what do you say? Want to partner up with us?"
"Me!"
"I'll do it!"
"Me too! I'm really good at riding motorcycles!"
Having tasted the allure of easy money, the young demons scrambled to volunteer first.
"Wow, look at how eager these kids are. Aren't they tempting? But what should we do? There are too many applicants."
"How many are you hiring?"
"Five. I only brought fifty million won with me."
"How about we fight among ourselves, and the winners get the spots?"
Oh Min-wook proposed the law of the jungle. He seemed quite confident in his fists.
Cha Donbaek put on a troubled expression and spoke.
"That's a bit cruel to do to your friends. How about we do this instead?"
Cha Donbaek offered an alternative.
"You know the gangsters you pay tribute to? Call them here, one by one."
"And after we call them?"
"We beat the shit out of them. Gang up on them. They're obstacles you have to overcome eventually anyway."
"..."
"What, no confidence?"
"...If we do it, will you hire all of us?"
"Ah, what the hell, I'm in a good mood. I'll take all of you. If we take those guys out, I'll give you the Incheon territory. Now, who's going to make the call? Raise your hands!"
*Up, up, up, up.*
The delinquents raised their hands, competing to be the first to call. Despite the hastily prepared script, not a single one of them doubted it. It was a moment where Cha Donbaek's acting skills truly shone.